The Cecil Whig., 1887-07-02
EASTERN SHORE POLITICS.
Outlook In the Different Counties-Candi
dates for Governor and Comptroller.

III all the years Ol The past from the be-
ginning of the political history of the
State. Just at this time politics have
lulled a little in the public mind, while
the less exciting but more important
work of harvesting the wheat crop has
attention, but presently there will be a
stir in all the election districts of the
shore, as the primaries preliminary to
the State convention have been called III
all the counties, and are to be held at an
early date.
The representation from the Eastern
Shore in the State Senate now stands
seven Democrats and two Republicans.
Successors to both of the Republicans -
Burchinal, of Kent and IIodson, of Som
erset-arc to be elected this year, and
also Successors to the Democrats -Tur-
pin, of Queen Annc's, and jackson, of
Wicomico. Five Democratic Senators
hold over. Kent was a Democratic
county from 1860 until 1883, when Bur
chinal, Republican, beat Usilton, Demo
crat, for the Senate. Kent Democrats
claim that this year they will retrieve
the county and put UP candidate for
Senator to beat Burchinal, who Will be
renominated bv the Republicans. But
this cannot be taken for granted. In
1854 Kent gave lO4 Democratic majority
for Cleveland; in 1855, 2i3 Democratic
majority, and in 1856, 8 Democratic ma
jority. A good Democratic ticket hon
estly supported, is pretty sure to win in
Kent. In 1888 the ticket was an excel
lent one. No better man could have
been put up on it than William B. Usil-
ton, the editor of the Kent NerS, but it
was not properly supported, nor were
the Democratic tickets properly sup
ported the same year in Hartford Mont
gomery and Talbot counties, which all
elected Republican Senators for the first
time in their history. Senator Burchinal
| is one of the ableSt and shrewdest of the
| Republican politicians in the State, and
will give his competitor this year a warm
| time.
Senator Turpin'S successor in Queen
Anne's will be Democrat, and will be
| Randolph Weldon. The Democratic
idjbI illGS III NyuCtu AUNT lpI lut IdSu
three years have been 632, go and 352.
| There is more political activity, amount
ing indeed to turmoil, in Queen Anne's
this year than in any other county in the
State. A clerk of the Circuit Court is to
be elected. This is the best office in the
county, and as Democratic nomination
is equivalent to an election, every dis
trict has its candidate. This fight com
| III tas bn J,I,
at present everything seems to be held
subsidiary to the clerkship nomination
In Wicomico the situation is simple as
respects the State Senator. f. Stanley
| Toadvin, Democrat, prominent men,
Der of the bar of Salisbury, it is thought,
will be Senator Jackson S successor with
out opposition for the nomination, and
probably without opposition at the elec-
ton The last three years Wicomico has
given these Democratic majorities: 90S,
912, S37. Wicomico is the banner Demo-
cratic county of the shore.
In 1854 Somerset gave 2SS Republican
majority for Blaine; in 1850, 223 Demo
cratic majority for Turner for comptroller,
and in 1856, los Republican majority for
Hodson for Congress. Usually Somer-
set has had a Democratic Senator, and
may secure one again this year, as the
Republicans are divided. The outgoing
Senator, Col. Hodson, was regarded as
one of the ablest members of that body,
and had the confidence and esteem of his
Democratic as well as of his Republican
associates. His views on the oyster
question, however, have antagonized a
part of the Republican voters of his
county, and it is claimed that he could
secure this year neither a nomination nor
an election without hard fight, were he
a candidate, and it is not alleged that he
desires to be. 1t is a part of the politics
of Somerset this year that ex-State Sem
ator Robert f. Brattan will be a cand-
date for the Democratic nomination for
| Congress next year.
| The summing up is that the Repubi-
cans can make no senatorial gains on the
Eastern Shore this year. 1t is not prob
able they will hold the two Senators they
now have, and very possible that Kent
and Somerset will elect Democrats, max
ing the Eastern Shore senatorial repre-
sentation solidly Democratic.
| The last Eastern Shoreman elected
Governor by the people was Thomas
Holiday Hicks, in 1888, who Was re-
turned elected as the American candidate
over Col. John &. Groome. The consti-
| tuition then divided the State into three
| gubernatorial districts, one of which was
| the Eastern Shore, so that one Governor
| out of three was sure to come from this
section. The constitution of 1864 abol-
| iShed the distrlcting, and the constitution
| of 1867 did not restore it. In 1864 the
Democrats nominated Judge Ezekiel F.
| Chambers, of Kent county, for Governor
against Thomas Swami, the Union can
didate, but Judge Chambers was of
| course defeated. Since then, a period of
| twenty-three years, this section of the
| State has not had a Democratic candidate
for Governor. In 1871, when Mr. Whyte
Was nominated, Judge Richard B. Car
michael, of Queen Anne's, was a candi-
date for the nomination; in 1915, when
| Mr.. Carroll was nominated, Hon. James
| B. Groome, of Cecil, was candidate be-
fore the convention; in 1879, when Mr..
Hamilton was nominated, Hon. Philip
| F. Thomas, of Talbot, was candidate;
in 1888, when Mr.. McLane was nomi-
mated, Col. William Mckenney, of Queen
! Aune's, was a candidate. This year
Hon. Elihu E. jackson, of Wicomco, is
a candidate for the nomination, and he
cannot get much comfort from the p-ece-
dents obtaining in more than quarter
| of century, unless it is with the notion
that it is time for the tide to change.
| In the State convention of ! | ! members
the Eastern Shore has 81 votes. In the
| gubcrnaorial contests referred to it has
never happened that the Eastern Shore
candidate had commanded all these. His
section has never been solid for him.
This political history will repeat itself
this year. From the Eastern Shore MIR.
Jackson will certainly have Wicomico,
| Worcester and Somerset-12 in all. 1t is
| thought he certainly will not have Cecil,
| Talbot and Caroline-11 IN all. OF the
other counties Kent is most likely to be
| for Jackson and Dorchester the least
| likely. In this county, Dorchester
where Mr.. Jackson has warm personal
and political friends, the quiet but posi-
tive candidacy of Hon. +. w lie Compte
| for comptroller interferes and puts Dor
| chester in the Roberts column, with the
| reversion to any Western Shore candi
date who can help lie Compile Cecil
will most likely vote with the congress
sional district of which it is part. Tai
bot will 90 where it can do the most
good for Turner and that will also be
Caroline's line. Queen Anne's has some
Jackson men, but there are abundant
reasons why that county will go for a
Western Shoreman for Governor. If the
State convention was held tomorrow
with the situation as it is today, the vote
of the Shore would probably be jackson
-, Roberts s, Hodges TO- leaving 1